There are lots of ways to make one-off prints without having a printing press and I’ve shared a couple of my own videos hereas well as created a list of monoprinting videoson my YouTube channel.

Cut up pieces of stencils on yupo paper.

A few years ago, I bought a gelatin plate, but never really knew what to do with it. A Gelli Plate is a moist gelatin-like slab. Because of its soft surface, it is extremely receptive to picking up impressions. And because it has an oily surface, it is possible to print using acrylic paints.

They are rather pricey, but you can also make your own. I tried and failed at that and bought one instead. But there are recipes online and I’d like to try again!

This online class gave me the opportunity to experiment with the medium. Jane Davies’ 6 weekly classes included:

weekly videos

weekly pages of illustrated instructions

lots and lots of homework

a closed blog where I and 25 other participants posted our results

feedback from the instructor and others

But even without taking a class, Jane Davies has loads of free videoson her YouTube channel that will inspire you.

However, for me, there is something compelling about the discipline of taking a course and having specific tasks to do. I definitely would not have developed the work I did without the class setting, even though it was at a distance. Here is a full list of her online classes.

All the images in this post are ‘homework’ pieces created during the class. I am back to my easel painting now, but with a new eye for design, shape, colour and texture. And perhaps with a new appreciation of the quiet places in a work of art.

Every new thing we experiment with or learn impacts on the way we see. I’m looking forward to ‘discovering’ how this impacts on my painting.